The 2024-25 NBA season will feature a compelling chase for the championship, as a combination of old favorites and new contenders will create nearly endless excitement. Here, we look at the NBA championship odds for the season and look at the favorites and some dark horse candidates to win the NBA Finals.
Current 2024-2025 NBA Championship Odds
| Team | NBA Championship Odds |
| Boston Celtics | +310 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +650 |
| New York Knicks | +800 |
| Denver Nuggets | +950 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +1000 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1000 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +1000 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +1400 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +3000 |
| Phoenix Suns | +3000 |
| Golden State Warriors | +3500 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +4000 |
| Miami Heat | +4500 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +5500 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +6000 |
| Indiana Pacers | +6000 |
| Orlando Magic | +6500 |
| Sacramento Kings | +7500 |
| LA Clippers | +8000 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +15000 |
| Houston Rockets | +15000 |
| Atlanta Hawks | +60000 |
| Washington Wizards | +100000 |
| Utah Jazz | +100000 |
| Toronto Raptors | +100000 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +100000 |
| Detroit Pistons | +100000 |
| Chicago Bulls | +100000 |
| Charlotte Hornets | +100000 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +100000 |
NBA Championship Favorites
Boston Celtics
The favorite to win the NBA Finals in the 2024-25 season is the Boston Celtics. Boston was clearly the best team in the NBA during the 2023-24 season, cruising to the NBA championship. Unless something drastic happens between then and the next postseason, there is no reason to believe that the Celtics will not be in the championship picture once again.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder arrived as championship contenders, finishing the regular season atop the Western Conference. While the Thunder lost in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, the nucleus for sustained success is already in place for this group. Trading for Alex Caruso and signing Isaiah Hartenstein in the offseason is already proof positive that the Thunder are going to be aggressive in chasing a title this year.
New York Knicks
Injuries were an issue for the New York Knicks in the last postseason last year. The Knicks were in a position to make the Eastern Conference Finals before losing several key players to injuries against the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. If they can stay healthy, they could conceivably compete with the Celtics for the Eastern Conference playoffs, but that is no guarantee under Tom Thibodeau, as trades for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges have generated a ton of interest in the Knicks to win the title.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets were not able to repeat as NBA champions last season, falling in the second round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With that said, they still have a three-time NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic to lead them and plenty of talent around him. Denver should be in the championship chase again this year in a loaded Western Conference.
Other NBA Championship Contenders
Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals last season, where they lost to the Dallas Mavericks. But the Wolves will return their core, including Edwards, as they try to get to the Finals in the 2024-25 campaign. Karl-Anthony Towns is gone this year, but Julius Randle is in, which is something the Wolves will have to adjust to as they look to get back to the Western Conference Finals this year.
Milwaukee Bucks
Last year’s Milwaukee Bucks never had a chance in the postseason thanks to injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. But those two should be back healthy throughout the 2024-25 season, which should mean they have a shot to live up to their NBA championship odds. Keep an eye on the health of Khris Middleton, though, as his health will also be key to this team’s success.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks won the Western Conference last season, with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving having a very successful postseason together. The defensive consistency of this team is always going to be a question mark, even if they are much better at protecting the paint than they were a couple of years ago. Doncic and Irving need to be consistently good on the defensive end instead of showing that ability for short bursts.
Philadelphia 76ers
Every year, the Philadelphia 76ers start the season as one of the favorites to win the NBA championship. But the question for this team will always be whether or not Joel Embiid can stay healthy enough to help them win in the postseason. Embiid was banged up in the 2024 postseason, helping the Sixers fall short against the New York Knicks. But if he can stay healthy, things could be different for Philly, who have added Paul George into the mix as well.
2024-25 NBA Finals Prediction
For now, we will take the Boston Celtics to become NBA champions once again. Boston is unlikely to have such an easy road to the Finals this coming postseason. But they have a ton of talent and enough role players to do great things again in the 2024-25 season. Look for Boston to finish atop the East and to give the rest of the league trouble all year long.
